Beware ferry tales; here are the facts

The Nova Scotia International Ferry Partnership (NSIFP) was a small group of businessmen who represented local municipalities and the province in finding a solution to reinstating the Yarmouth-to-Portland sea link.

Our approach was to tackle the job as one of provincial significance. My position was co-chair but I am writing this letter as a citizen of Nova Scotia who has lived in Yarmouth since 1970.

I can remember the first and last sailing of the Scotia Prince and the changeover of the Bluenose to the CAT. I have witnessed the good times during the successful days of these services and the bad days when they ceased operation.

The education I received on the subject of the ferry services from Yarmouth over the two years of studying the issue revealed many issues that are often confusing and misquoted. I will try to help clarify the issue.

Ferry service from Yarmouth to New England began in the 1800s and served as an icon for the tourism industry. The most recent services were the Bluenose and later the CAT from Bar Harbor from 1956 to 2009, and the Scotia Prince to Portland from 1970 to 2004.

Nova Scotia Tourism assisted in the marketing of the Portland service from the beginning, as one would expect, but there was no evidence of a provincial subsidy.

The service to Bar Harbor was a well-run, very successful high-speed ferry originally operating twice per day. Both services were operated by private companies without subsidy.

My research indicates the subsidy for the Cat was implemented in 2006 to provide a three-day service to Portland, thus reducing the Bar Harbor run to a four-day service.

The subsequent numbers reported indicate the Portland service failed to capture the traditional type of traffic of the original Scotia Prince service due to a number of issues, including the trip length for a high-speed service.

There have been many comparisons made between the Nova Star and the previous Bar Harbor ferry service and it is important to note the differences: The Nova Star is a world-class cruise ferry service offering cabins and many onboard experiences, making the passage part of the vacation over a 10-hour period. It has the capacity to carry larger motorhomes and motor coaches in addition to cars. The Cat was a high-speed service whose value offering was getting rapidly from port to port.

With the obvious exception that the Nova Star is a much larger, new ship, any comparison would be more appropriate to the original service of the Scotia Prince to the Port of Portland. The last sailing of this service was in the fall of 2004 and a number of corporate reasons, not a drop in the market as often stated, led to its demise.

It has recently been reported that the ridership in June was only 10 per cent of the ship’s capacity. This is an unfair comparison, leaving the reader with a negative overtone.

The shoulder seasons, even in the days of high ridership with previous services, were relatively low and increased to the maximum in July and August.

It would be more fitting to state the ridership was over 60 per cent of the traditional passenger loads. Considering the service was very late starting — no fault of Nova Star Cruises — missing the preparation for the next year’s market that is required to guarantee maximum benefit, it could be said their progress is impressive.

The best comparison of this service will be in 2015 when there will be more time to prepare for the season and attract target markets during their planning phase.

The 2012 expert panel report stated: “enough passengers could be attracted to a Yarmouth ferry to bring about un-subsidized viability in the medium term,” and “In order to initiate a service and attract a suitably experienced operator, governments (federal and provincial) would have to provide roughly $30-$35 million of support.”

Clearly, it was the belief of the panel that this was an “investment” in the market to assist in establishing a viable service and in the long term to benefit the provincial economy.

The decision to begin this service late in the season was needed to excite the market and to be ready with a professional and well-oiled service for 2015.

After seeing first-hand the economic damage caused by not having this sea link, I think the investment is well justified and will pay off in the long run for the citizens of Nova Scotia.

One way we might put this in perspective is to ask the question: “Would we support a new highway from Nova Scotia to New England to help bolster commercial and tourism trade, if it were possible?” I have no doubt that if there existed a commitment of the provincial, federal and municipal governments to support this infrastructure, this would be seen as a good investment and a wise use of public funds.

We have that commitment now. We have an operating terminal and the Nova Star’s presence and capacity to deliver a world-class service. It is something to build on for the benefit of the Nova Scotia tourism and other related industries.

As citizens, we need to stop tearing down and criticizing this service and get behind it with positive ideas and support to help maximize the investment and make it a success to the benefit of all Nova Scotians.